EDUCATIONAL METHODS

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXIX, Issue 14683, 14 May 1908, Page 9

EDUCATIONAL METHODS

SOME EXPERT OBSERVATIONS. MR G. HOGBEN'S GLEANINGS. At the conference of secondary school teachers in Uhristchurck last evening Mr G. Mogben, Inspector-Geh"eral of (Schools, delivered an address, setting out a, numbor of his observations on educational methods examined by him during u recent trip through iimrope and America. He acalt specially with the work done in Germany, France. Switzerland, Italy and America.' It was 1 impossible, Mr Hogbon said, for Now Zealand schools to adopt siidi foreign mothods as those of Germany. At first he had been disappointed in Caox'zuaa education, but later lie saw Some of ios good points, Still, he l eit that it would be. unwise to adopt any Gorman, Italian, French 'or Swiss methods, unless the method was cosmopolitan in its application. It Was nob fair to include America in the category, because, unlace the other countries he had mentioned, in America the spirit of the education system ivas distinctly Anglo-Saxon. In the second- . ary school of Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland or Holland tho outstanding feature he had noticed was thoroughness. Without interfering at all with the ideal of athleticism, the idea of thoroughness might well be held up as • an example in New Zealand. The secret of tho earnestness was not clear, but one could not avoid seeing itThere were certain motives, however, - for it. In Germany, for instance, a certain reasonable educational standard •reduced the time of military service from three years to one. The pupils were also thoroughly possessed with the idea of national greatness. Even m •the schools for defectives the national reputation, or patriotic spirit, was continually coming into notice. A ro- • markable point in each of these countries 'was tho thoroughness shown m ' ' the teaching of the mother-tongue, and tho development of the powers of expression in pupils of all ages. \V hen •he visited a- school in Rome ho had not to ask the pupils a series of questions, and suggest a logical form for their ideas; tho boys, on their own account, gave their thoughts in sequential form without hesitation or assistance of any sort. Ho had heard a lecture on electricity given to a class ' by an eminent'physicist, and after an address of an hour and a quarter one of the boys gave a logical and clear, and fully complete, summary of tho lecturo. Ho had' tested .this accomplishment to some extent,.'and found the girls no less able. The characteristic was discernible in tho lowest secondary classes. On pursuing his investigations to see where tho faculty originated, ho found that in tho very lowest class_ one of the first lessons was on tho objects and phenomena actually observed by the children. The same thing was seen in Germany, except that the lesson was carried out much more formally, even unnecessarily so. American methods were muoh more suitable to New Zealand. There the power of continual speech on a given theme was cultivated much more than elsewhere. That work Was very valuable. Ho felt sure, after Studying the matter, that it increased initiative, and ho considered that the method should bo adopted in New Zealand to a much greater extent than it had been adopted. In Italy and Germany, and especially in America, as well as in the other countries, the teaching of tho another tongue wag good in the encouragement of tho love and appreciation ot literature. The chief object of tho study of literature was not grammar and philology. If these sciences were to be taught, they were reached through, other channels. The same thing was noticeable in n few English girls' ' schools. During his visit to Boston ho had been delighted to eeo the keen appreciation shown by quite young pupils of the beauties of a poem he heard them read and criticise. In regard to foreign languages he saw only cue school where the direct method was not need; and in Germany the teaching was most successful.'■/While. rin English poem, recited by a class that iiad been learning for six months, was very doubtful in pronunciation it was thoroughly understood. Tho direct method was advancing very rapidly in England. In dealing with the ancionfc languages he found that almost everywhere the study of the history of the country and period concerned and. the ■ life of the author were taken up at the same time. In mathematics ho found a freer treatment. There was not a sharp line between tho branches of . 311 at hematics and he frequently found in Continental schools a strong experimental foundation in the study of geometry. In France geometry was considered a 6 a development of the science of physics, and it was treated, very largely experimentally. American ' schools, too, constantly used practical examples. Scienco was better taught in the best English and . Scotch and some American schools than anywhere else, because stress was laid 'upon indivklual work. In some American schools the instructor acted almost simply as director. On ''Children's I)ay " in some of the American schools V an occasion of intense interest, the teacher was simply a chairman. The cliuuren asked and answered 1 -questions and made their own notes without direction. The American conception of education wae the furthering of the social efficiency. Each Study in tho '. secondary schools had for its object a practical application, secured without. atiy lowering of the standard of education. It was not the ideal of inaking dollars, but the appreciation of .. the subjects to ia useful end, and consequently greater social efficiency. The school life was regarded not as a ; preparation for life but as a part of lifo itself. Mr Hngbcn said that he had found . the secondary schools much freer of exthan those of New Zealand. Ti'iiat -was largely due to their longstanding and ' independence. In no • country, however, was the ladder from . primary education to the higher. uni- • Vereity education so complete as in. New .-. Zealand. He had to explain the New Zealand system several tunes, and tho : authorities in America had agreed with him. Still, in other places the steps • tvero more natural. For instance, a pupil might better show his fitness for university education by the way he did his ordinary secondary school work than by the set examination by an outBide body. Ho hoped that in New Zealand such a system would be moro »nd more closel* approximated to. It was regrettable lbhat the course of tho -New Zealand University did not allow of any specialisation. What was a university for if not to allow specialisation? He hoped that the conference would express the opinion that the course should be modified as to allow of an intermediate examination in certain subjects, after which tho students be allowed to specialise. Then, oven if only an ordinary degree was sought, tho students would have an opportunity to bo good at something. At the conclusion of the address, . which was listened to with keen interest, Mr Hogben answered several questions put by members of the conference.